Christian Lee rejects baseless notion that Alibeg Rasulov backed out from their fight: "He's a very tough guy"

ONE lightweight and welterweight MMA world champion Christian Lee disagrees with claims that Alibeg Rasulov backed out from their world title clash at ONE Fight Night 26.

'The Warrior' and the undefeated Turkish star duked it out from the sound of the bell inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, last Friday, Dec. 6.

That entertainment, however, was cut short after the defending lightweight kingpin accidentally stuck his finger out during an exchange, which rendered Rasulov unable to continue after being checked by officials.

The match ended in a no contest, with Lee retaining his gold.

With some comments on social media suggesting that Rasulov might have played it safe and decided to back off, Lee gave his take on the subject and put the lid on any talk about his opposite number choosing the easier way out.

He told Bangkok Post:

"I'm not gonna say that [he backed out from the fight]. I don't want to disrespect my opponent. He's a very tough guy."

Watch Christian Lee's full interview here:

The ONE Fight Night 26 replay is available to North American fans via Amazon Prime Video. Fans around the world can relive the spectacle on watch.onefc.com.

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Christian Lee was back at his best at ONE Fight Night 26

Though he fell short of his dream of making a victorious return to martial arts' grandest stage, there were plenty of positives from Christian Lee's display inside the 'Mecca of Muay Thai'.

For one, 'The Warrior' didn't waste any time shifting into gear. For someone who's been out of action for close to two years, the Prodigy Training Center and Evolve MMA athlete could have been forgiven for taking things slow.

Instead, he didn't quite look like a man who's been away for an extended period. The Hawaii-based fighter went at Rasulov at full speed, lighting him up with his striking and grappling prowess.

To make matters sweeter, the 26-year-old was fluid every time he advanced. Bar the one accidental error, Lee operated in a calculative yet aggressive manner despite the challenger lurking around with a possible match-ending knockout.

All in all, this is only a sign of greater things to come for the talented man.

If this was what he could display with an extended time on the sidelines, one can only imagine how much more room for improvement the double champ can make if he starts getting regular game time again on the global stage.